Spicy, smokey pumpkin soup with pancetta and garlic bread croutons

This smokey, spicy pumpkin soup is the perfect meal after a fall hike.

I developed this recipe while listening to Phoebe Reads a Mystery reading Dracula. I love pumpkin spice, but I don’t want that in soup. My pumpkin soup is deeply savoury, with enough garlic to keep Dracula at bay, and layers of flavour from the smoked paprika that’s broken up with crunchy garlicky croutons. It’s the anti-spice.

I find myself going back to this soup for second and third helpings. You can make this with canned pumpkin, but I think it’s best when you roast a sugar pumpkin with garlic – and then you also get to make pumpkin seeds. I’m going to make a few batches to keep in the freezer.

Roast Pumpkin

• 1 sugar pumpkin or other squash (roughly 1.5-2kg pumpkin for 750-1000g cooked). I’ve been using Red Kuri/Hokkaido Pumpkin or Pink Porcelain Doll pumpkins for this, but ask your local farmers market vendor what to use.

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Croutons

• 1/2 loaf sourdough bread or pan di mie

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Soup

• 750-1000g roast pumpkin or canned pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)

• 125g pancetta, chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion (300-350g), chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp hot paprika

• 1/2 tsp chile flakes, such as Silk or Aleppo pepper

• 1L chicken stock

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup heavy cream (18-35%)

Roast the pumpkin

• Preheat oven to 475°F

• Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds; reserve seeds to roast and enjoy later

• Smash garlic cloves and remove peel

• Rub inside of pumpkin with olive oil, salt, and pepper

• Place the pumpkins, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Place one smashed garlic clove under each pumpkin.

• Bake for 60-90 minutes, until a fork can pierce the pumpkin easily (the pumpkin may collapse). You need to roast this longer than you think – the skin will be blistered and dark, the inside will be steamed to perfection. This time transforms it from stringy to creamy.

• Remove from oven and allow to cool fully

• Once cool, scrape out the flesh and discard the peel; keep the roasted garlic cloves to add to add to the soup

Make the croutons

• While the oven is still hot, on a baking sheet, tear half a loaf of sourdough bread or pan di mie, into 1” size pieces (you can also cut into cubes)

• In a small bowl, add 2 tbsp olive oil, zest of 1 lemon, and 1 clove grated garlic

• Pour olive oil mix onto bread and toss to coat

• Bake at 475°F for 7-10 minutes until golden brown and crispy

• Set aside until ready to serve

Make the soup

• Set a 3.5 quart or larger pot on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive and the pancetta

• Cook, stirring often, until the pancetta is crispy and has released its fat

• Remove the pancetta and reserve for serving

• Add the onion and a pinch of salt; cook until soft and caramelized, 30 minutes

• Add the chopped fresh garlic and roasted garlic from the pumpkins, cook for 1 minute

• Add the smoked paprika, hot paprika, and chili flakes and cook for 30 seconds

• Add the chicken stock, pumpkin, thyme, and bay leaves

• Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes

• Remove the bay leaves

• Puree in a blender in 2-3 batches, transferring the blended soup to a heat proof serving bowl after each batch

• Add red wine vinegar and stir to combine

• Add cream and stir to combine

• Taste and adjust seasoning

• Serve topped with croutons and pancetta, optionally sprinkle some additional paprika on top for looks

Notes:

You can puree the soup with an immersion blender, but the texture will remain very thick. If you puree in a high speed blender, the texture will be very silky and creamy. I think it’s worth getting out the blender.

Roasting your own pumpkin is a lot of work, so I understand if you want to use canned pumpkin. I will say that it creates a beautiful depth of flavour you can’t get from a can, and by buying weird heirloom pumpkins from your farmer’s market you help support biodiversity and better tasting food. Canned pumpkin is all made from Dickinson squash.

To make this vegan, swap the pancetta for 1tbsp olive oil, the chicken stock for vegetable stock, and the heavy cream for cashew milk. You could use oat or almond milk as well, but I wouldn’t use coconut milk/cream since it will change the flavour dramatically.

This recipe can be cooked and served in the Staub Pumpkin Cocotte, which I absolutely adore (it’s 3.5 quarts). The spooky bowl is by local ceramic artist, Jacpot Pottery.